A few links as we head into the weekend.

A paper to be published in Science says a large plume of oil still exists in the Gulf of Mexico (NY Times, also see this from BBC). BP now plans to wait til after Labor Day to seal the well (NY Times).

The floods and Pakistan and fires in Russia are deserving of the world’s environmental attention, but the globe would be wise not to turn away from the BP oil spill. There’s been a slew of news rushing in on BP despite the fact that the oil well has been capped.

Last weekend Barack Obama’s trip showed the beaches in Florida are safe and open for tourism, but it also highlighted the huge drop in tourism to the region.

The resort towns of the Florida panhandle are on the eastern edge of the oil spill but the beaches were still hit by tar balls and an oily sheen. A study by Oxford Economics for the US Travel Association estimated the spill could cost coastal towns in the four Gulf states nearly $23 billion dollars in lost tourism arrivals over the next three years.

Shrimping season began in the region recently and while shrimping boats are at least all back to work, it’s not all plentiful and safe hauls. An interview with one of the heads of the shrimpers associations showed that.

ACY COOPER: It was poor. We don’t know what happened, the shrimp wasn’t as plentiful as we thought there was. We had more fish than we had shrimp, so it wasn’t what we anticipated. … Well, let me go to last Friday and the day they let me go, found oil on the bottom in the same areas that I was working at - which I worked at too much and never even seen this oil. So we have a lot of areas like that. When they sunk this oil, the Coast Guard kept saying it’s a tradeoff. And, like, we screamed and hollered from the beginning that the only tradeoff it is is to lose our industry. So we got to be very careful when you’re talking about all gone. It’s not gone, they just sunk it.

And speaking of declaring success before it should’ve been, scientists are wary of reports that the BP oil spill is under control - and the govt’s top commander still says the cap is a work in progress.

Their report claims that most of the oil that leaked into the Gulf is still present. They concede that much of it is dissolved or in the form of dispersed micro-droplets, but caution that oil in that state isn’t harmless. According to the Georgia report, between 70 percent and 79 percent of the oil remains in the ecosystem.

The smog persists in Moscow, but it appears that the fears of radioactivity were overblown (MSNBC). The smog, along with other extreme weather, fits with climate change-related predictions say some scientists (MSNBC, also see this from the BBC and this from the NY Times).

And on that subject, 2010 has thus far been the warmest year on record (Washington Post).

The deepwater drilling ban may be lifted early (MSNBC).

The devastating floods continue in Pakistan. This article looks at the causes (BBC).

In West Virgina, some hope that a wind farm can save a mountain from mountaintop mining (NY Times).

The world’s largest tidal turbine is unveiled (BBC). Back in the U.S., much of the energy-related stimulus money has yet to be spent (Washington Post).

Still living in an apartment? Here are some ways to be an eco-friendly renter (LA Times). And here’s how peak energy demand periods have been controlled (NY Times).

Weak batteries are hurting the Honda Civic’s fuel efficiency (LA Times).

Many manufacturers will recycle old electronics for you, so don’t trash your old gadgets.

Watch out for those ladders and mirrors and black cats today. Here are a few links for the weekend.

The fires in Russia are raising fears that radioactive material could be released (NY Times).

This in-depth article offers a look at Portugal’s embrace of renewable energy (NY Times). And here’s a look at how butter can be turned into biodiesel (NY Times).

And finally, looking to save some energy? LED bulbs are now available for less than $20 (CNET).

The truth these days is harsh - we don’t know quite how bad the effects of global warming will be. The latest example is the floating ice island that broke off a glacier off Greenland.

Four times the size of Manhattan, this floating weapon could sink ships with ease, simply by crashing into them. Right now scientists think the ice island could reach Newfoundland in 1 to 2 years. If it does this, well, look out.

These scientists believe the new ice island will enter Nares Strait and either block it or break up and lodge between real islands in the Strait. Such was the fate of a 230-square-mile ice chunk which calved from the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf in Canada in 1962. Another possibility is that the pieces could travel south toward the Atlantic over the course of the next two years and melt in warmer waters. Right now, the island is floating about 620 miles south of the North Pole.

While this “ice island” was always somewhat of a possibility, the bigger fear from the melting glaciers and ice caps was always the rise in sea level. Now we have this as well. I hope cameras can get footage of the island breaking off from the glacier as those types of clips often resonate most with the public (aside from polar bears). Who knows - maybe this can be another in a yearlong of wake-up calls.

Best case scenario is it only clogs up shipping lanes and worst-case scenario is this island floats into boats causing massive destruction. There’s no way of knowing. But there’s one thing we do know for sure - this is only the tip of the iceberg on global warming.

The New York Times has a lengthy feature on the mandate for the Minerals Management Service to produce results.

The capping has prompted fears of abandonment along the Gulf (MSNBC). The FDA says the dispersants have not affected Gulf seafood (Washington Post), but some fishermen still prefer working for BP at this point (LA Times).

Climate talks in Bonn yielded no results (MSNBC); if anything, things regressed (BBC).

The U.S. changes plans for capturing coal emissions (NY Times).

The U.N. says Pakistan will need billions in flood aid (MSNBC). Smog from wildfires covers Moscow (BBC).

A consultant criticizes the Deepwater Wind project (Providence Journal).

In 1980, each U.S. household had only 3 consumer electronic products. Today, each house has 25.

The static kill operation seems to have succeeded (NY Times), and with no oil having leaked in 3 weeks, the spill part of the disaster may be finished. On Wednesday, the government reported that most of the remaining oil poses little additional risk (NY Times), although that report has been subject to a lot of criticism (NY Times).

And in other news, San Francisco considers expanding its plastic bag ban (LA Times).

It’s as though Mother Nature is knocking us over the head with a wake-up call this year. Ignore the Copenhagen Curse at your own risk.

Since global leaders emitted more than a ton of hot air at December’s climate change summit in Copenhagen, it seems that more and more signs of the urgency behind global warming are popping up.

First, the historic BP oil spill showed how harmful our reliance on that type of energy is - it’s dangerous to get it and it’s dangerous to use it. Then, Climategate was debunked as any type of coercion, thereby giving credence to science once again. Next we hear Asian long-horned beetles are killing trees (which take in a lot of the dangerous carbon dioxide) all across the northeast, leveling the great equalizer to global warming. Oh - and it’s been really, really, really hot just about everywhere across the globe this summer.

Some global leaders have listened - it seems Russian president Dmitry Medvedev might be convinced after more than 1,000 people died from Russia’s June heat wave (or from drinking too much vodka). IF this is in fact true, it’s a big deal since not only has Russia been behind on halting climate change, its actually denied it many times.

Others haven’t heeded the lessons - such as the U.S. Senate and the White House, which shelved comprehensive energy reform last month. This has the world once again questioning the U.S. commitment to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. After we never agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, who can blame the doubters.

Global leaders of the U.N. are reconvening at Bonn this week for a conference on climate change. Monday, one leader urged countries to take baby steps, so we can at least get started on stopping global warming. Will it work? After the letdown at Copenhagen, I’m not sure. But it doesn’t, we might be in for even more curses.